PetSmart has brought back its extremely popular line of Disney licensed Halloween costumes for dogs for the second year. In addition to old favorites such as Tinker Bell, Peter Pan and Snow White, new favorites include Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse (currently sold out online), Cinderella, Ariel, Tigger and — for the pirates out their who love to sniff out the booty — Jack Sparrow.

The Disney Wonder is currently in drydock getting some much needed TLC around the ship. In addition miscellaneous repairs, the Cadillac Lounge is getting a new stage and the Animator’s Palate received a new floor.

A completely new addition to the ship is the Outlook Cafe which is being installed in anticipation of the Wonder’s Alaskan voyages in 2011. Located high atop deck 10, the 2,500-square-foot Outlook Cafe is a stylish retreat for guests to relax and enjoy a beverage or cocktail as they peer out through floor-to-ceiling, curved glass windows at breathtaking vistas. The design of Outlook Cafe is sophisticated with contemporary Art Deco inspiration. An elegant spiral staircase connects Outlook Cafe with the existing Cove Cafe one deck below. The 65-seat lounge has a granite-topped cocktail bar with comfortable seating throughout the space, all providing picture-perfect views of the surrounding landscapes.

BURBANK, Calif. — Disney Interactive Studios today announced the availability of Disney Sing It: Pop Hits, its hit-heavy multi-platform karaoke-style video game. A perfect convergence of pop culture, Disney Sing It: Pop Hits features some of the biggest names and chart-topping songs in pop music to create the ultimate video game singing experience, complete with singing tips and vocal lessons with singer and actress Tiffany Thornton, from the Disney Channel Original Series “Sonny With A Chance.”

“Disney Sing It: Pop Hits offers a great collection of hit songs that today’s teens will instantly recognize and players of all ages will come to love,” said Craig Relyea, senior vice president of global marketing, Disney Interactive Studios. “Players can also improve their skills with vocal lessons and breathing exercises in the game, helping them to become superstar performers in their own living room.”

In Disney Sing It: Pop Hits for Wii™, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, players can match their talent with some of today’s best known performers, including master recordings and popular music videos from global fan favorites. Among the notable acts in this third iteration of the franchise are Miley Cyrus, Jonas Brothers, Taylor Swift, Colbie Caillat, Demi Lovato, Hannah Montana, Jesse McCartney, Coldplay and One Republic.

Featuring a variety of ways to play, Disney Sing It: Pop Hits lets players grab the microphone and take center stage in a single player mode, harmonize with friends and family in duet mode to earn higher scores, or compete with them head-to-head in multi-player modes. Players can also get tips in a newly expanded “Sing It Pro” mode led by Tiffany Thornton. Tiffany shows players how professional singers improve their vocals, from breathing and pitch exercises to the techniques involved with harmonizing in a duet and riffing. In addition to the vocal rewards that come with practice, the game also provides players with special pins, background themes and other prizes.

Adding to her established collection of Disney princess-inspired wedding dresses for Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings, designer Kirstie Kelly will soon be adding new dresses inspired by Tiana from The Princess and the Frog and an all-new Snow White dress inspired by the Disney Diamond Edition of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

In the photo to the left, Kelly (pictured) publicly debuts her sketch for the Tiana-inspired dress to visitors at Disney’s D23 Expo which took place last month.

The new Snow White dress will be unveiled on the runway later this year, but Brides.com has an exclusive first look at the new dress which you can see here.

Title: Disney’s Magic Mirror(link) Publisher: Walt Disney Released: October 5, 2009 Cost: $.99 iTouch?: Yes, limited functionality Pros: Sort-of cute app for the Snow White-diehard to share with friends Cons: More ad than content, not much of either for the price Review: This is a Snow White-ized version of the classic Magic 8-Ball App. Ask it a yes/no question and it does its best to reply. So I simply asked it whether or not people should buy it and this was its actual response:

alone in the dark the world is still despite my best efforts I do not know its will

“As the director of blockbuster movies such as Toy Story and Cars, John Lasseter has brought toys to life on the big screen,” explained Alan Hassenfeld, chair of the Hall of Fame Committee and 1994 Hall of Fame inductee.

Game Informer has announced that its November 2009 issue which is currently being mailed to subscribers features a story on the all-but-confirmed Epic Mickey title from Junction Point studios, a Nintendo-Wii exclusive steampunk drawing-based gaming adventure in which lesser known Disney characters are rumored to be seeking vengeance from Mickey himself in what can only be described as post-apocalyptic Walt Disney World (although the attractions in the artwork featured on the issue’s [back] cover appear to be more home at Disneyland).

Check out the original Game Informer announcement here and additional artwork from the magazine on Destructoid.

BURBANK, Calif., October 5, 2009 — Rich Ross, President of Disney Channels Worldwide, has been named Chairman of The Walt Disney Studios, it was announced today by Disney President and CEO Robert A. Iger.

Ross will oversee worldwide production, distribution and marketing for the company’s range of live-action and feature animated film labels, including Walt Disney, Touchstone, Miramax and Disney/Pixar. In his new role, which he assumes immediately, he will also head Disney’s theatrical and music groups.

In his thirteen years at Disney, Ross has consistently created hit original programming, effectively expanded a worldwide creative and distribution organization, skillfully built the Disney brand with global franchises that work across borders and technology platforms and put in place a strong management team.

“Rich has an outstanding record of creating high-quality family entertainment that delights audiences around the world,” said Iger. “With his success in building the Disney brand across many of our businesses, his astute marketing sensibility, his proven ability in working effectively with talent and his skill at navigating complex global markets, I’m confident he’s the perfect leader for our studio group.”

Although they had slowly been dwindling away over the past year or so, this past weekend saw the closure of the last two remaining Kidcot stations in Epcot’s Future World. Saturday was the final day of the program, with the Kidcot station displays in both the Land and Seas pavilions left standing and unstaffed beginning Sunday, October 4.

The Kidcot stations in the World Showcase are unaffected by this change and will continue to operate as normal.

As of today, Thumper and Miss Bunny have begun making daily meet & greet appearances at Camp Minnie-Mickey in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, replacing Koda and Kenai.

While character changes are always occurring and usually at the drop of a dime, they’re never quite as prevelent as in October as the new fiscal year for the Walt Disney Company begins. Other notable changes coming soon are Terence the fairy appearing at Magic Kingdom’s Pixie Hollow (as well as Disneyland), expecting to replace Iridessa, and characters from the new Disney animated classic, The Princess and the Frog: Tiana, Naveen and Dr. Facilier.